The Motor (Amendment) Bill, 2019, was passed by voice vote on Tuesday in the current Lok Sabha term. It provides for enhanced fines and punishments to curb road accidents, expedite payment of compensation and promote the use of technology for seamless traffic. The government rejected several amendments suggested by the opposition parties. But assured that the bill would not violate the rights of states. Let us know the full details
In his statement, Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, while replying to a discussion on the bill, said that he has come here to fulfill the promise of not selling the dream but to build better and smoother roads and use the latest transport technology. Several members supported the provisions for violation of road safety and traffic rules in the bill, which differed from partisan politics. On the other hand, the Centre was criticized for trying to encroach upon the rights of states. Gadkari termed these apprehensions as baseless and said the government has no intention of interfering in the rights of the states. The bill proposes to bring in a national transport policy to lay down guidelines for the transportation of goods and passengers. Gadkari said the policy will be formulated only after consultation with the states. "We will not take away the rights of the States. A state may refuse to enforce this policy if it so wishes. It will not be mandatory to implement this policy.'
Further, the minister said his ministry would end the practice of monitoring roads by independent engineers. Instead, an expert company will do this job. Similarly, two-wheelers will be introduced soon to boost the transport sector. This will help people living in villages and tehsils. We've suggested to the states in this regard. It is up to them to accept it or not. Gadkari said 14 thousand accident-prone landmarks have been identified in the country so far. An amount of Rs 14 thousand crores will be spent from the World Bank and ADB to rectify these. This will prevent road accidents.
Referring to the government's efforts to promote electric vehicles to reduce vehicular pollution, Gadkari said several states, including Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, are procuring electric vehicles. Also, water transport is being promoted. With the help of indigenous and foreign companies in Mumbai, cruise journeys will start at sea soon. Work in this direction is going on fast. As part of the river transport efforts, soon you will see water transport from Prayagraj to Kolkata. The dream of ropeways, cable cars and sky buses in India will be fulfilled soon. With the strength of technology, it has been possible to park a large number of cars in the small space of the transport building. States like Kerala have expressed their willingness to adopt this technology.
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